Senior Year
by xGraciferx
Summary: And then there was Laney. Five years later, the tables had turned. Now I was the one crushing on her, whereas she had moved on. So, I settled for admiring her from afar...And maybe jerking it to her Facebook pictures now and again. CoreyxLaney, rated M for language and sexual content.
1. Friend-Zoned

_Author's note: an interesting idea for a story I had, first chapter written in 24 hours. Criticism is welcome, but please make it constructive. Thanks, and more chapters to come. I hope people like it. Rated M for sexual content and possible future lemon? I don't own Grojband, Facebook, Redbox, or any shows/websites/movies mentioned in this or any other chapter! A huge thank you to reviewers on my only other story (only two of them, but oh well), were it not for the positive feedback, I probably would not have had the courage to post anything else. Ever. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Friend-Zoned**

It had been years since we started Grojband. Before we all knew it, we were seniors in high school with a huge, solid, local fanbase. As we got older, we started needing Trina's diary less and less; we finally had our own angsty feelings off of which we could base our lyrics. She had left soon after all of us entered high school anyway; now she was attending university and of course in some top-dog sorority. Life was good without Trina though. It felt great, not having to rely on her for our music anymore. But it hadn't really hit me yet that my band and I might not see each other again after graduation. I was too hopeful to see it that way in any case, we were so close to a record deal these days, I could _taste_ it.

I suppose I hadn't changed much in 5 years, aside from growing taller than six feet and looking a bit more scruffy than I did when I was 13. Trying to be a clean-shaven 18-year-old was a full time job. Blue hair had sort of become my thing, I re-dyed it once every two months or so. Still dug the beanie and baseball-style shirt look. Girls seemed to like it. Although I only really cared about one of them.

Kin had grown much taller. He was still incredibly smart, but had ditched the geek look. He looked more like a hipster these days, with his thick-rimmed glasses and affinity for earth-colored scarves. I kind of worried about losing him after this year—of course he loved the keys, but he was so smart, and it had always been his dream to go to college. Kon had lost a lot of weight, but still retained his burley muscle mass and hit the gym at least every other day. He still hoped to eventually win my sister over, but I didn't see her coming down from her party-girl college lifestyle anytime soon. His drumming had improved drastically. Not that he wasn't a great drummer 5 years ago, but we had all gotten better with practice.

And then there was Laney. Looking back on our middle school years, I couldn't believe I had never noticed how fond she was of me...Too bad I figured all that out too late. Oh, how the tables had turned. Now I was the one crushing on her, whereas she had moved on. I guess it was just karmic irony. I couldn't keep a steady relationship with another girl—I was kidding myself in believing that I wasn't trying to replace her every time. However, occasionally, after a concert when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't mind fulfilling some groupie's fantasy and fucking the girl's brains out. But I preferred keeping my eyes closed and imagining that it was Laney beneath me, moaning and screaming my name instead of an easy fangirl. She, on the other hand, was always in a relationship. Guys went crazy for her. It was impossible to catch her between boyfriends without being a rebound. It would have hurt too much for her to use me like that, so I couldn't even bring myself to try. I was content enough being her best friend and the shoulder she ran to cry on when she went through a break up. And I loved having a good excuse to beat one of her ex's asses and release all of the pent-up anger of having to have watched the misogynistic shit head kiss her lips or grab her ass multiple times right in front of my eyes.

Laney...She had grown into such a beautiful, intelligent young woman. Her deep red hair was longer now. She'd gotten much taller, with long, slender legs. Her style hadn't changed since middle school, but she had stopped wearing as much make up, giving her a much more natural look. I liked that. As usual, when the soft, innocent thoughts of her beauty leave my mind, they're replaced with everything explicit I secretly imagine doing with her. Her breasts—_oh,_ don't even get me started on them. They were like little peaches—I always imagined them feeling like the perfect handful. I wasn't a fan of large chests, but I couldn't do the whole flat thing either. Hers were just the perfect size. However, I was really more of an ass man myself. And let me tell you, every time she came over, I'd make sure she walked up the stairs before me, so that I could have a flawless view of that thing. The way her hips swayed and her cheeks gently bounced when she walked, it took everything I had to resist the urge to reach up and touch it, _squeeze_ it...I'm sorry, I'm really getting carried away here.

Long story short, I had thought she was the most fantastic girl since we started high school. Although we were still best friends, I knew I had really messed up any chance I ever had of getting her to see me as anything more. If I could go back and change the way I had acted toward her back then, the way I always treated her like a guy instead of a girl...I'd do it in a heartbeat. So, I settled for admiring her from afar...and maybe jerking it to some of her Facebook pictures now and again.

This was one of those times.

"Oh God, Laney," I moaned, trying to be as quiet as I could as I clicked through her Facebook profile pictures and stroked myself. _So close._ Mom and dad weren't home, they'd actually left on vacation for the entire Spring Break. But Trina was home for the holidays. I much preferred having my sister turn a blind eye to my age, and believing I was still her little innocent brother rather than a perverted asshat. "_Laney,_" I gasped as I leaned back in my computer chair and came hard into my hand. I shuddered, reveling in the euphoria of my orgasm before the feeling faded away. I sat there in silence for a few seconds, recuperating.

"Corey!" I heard Trina's voice sound from downstairs. Startled, I jumped at the sound of her voice. My heart was pounding and, despite the fact that she was clearly downstairs, I panicked and instinctively grabbed the hand towel I kept by my computer for this kind of stuff and covered my crotch.

"What is it, Trina?" I called back to her as I wiped my softening dick.

"Laney's here to see you!"

I froze. What impeccable timing.

"I'm sending her up!"

_Shit,_ she couldn't know about how I masturbated to her pictures! I quickly wiped my hand of my cum and shoved my penis back into my underwear. I could hear Laney's footsteps on the stairs. I grabbed a pair of basketball shorts off the edge of my bed and pulled them up, then I threw the towel under my computer desk. Last but not least, I clicked out of her Facebook pictures (what? I didn't want her to think I was a creeper...), hustled across my room, and pulled the door open to see her flawless figure before me.

"Hey Laney," I tried not to sound flustered or panicked, but I'm sure I was failing miserably. I finally focused on her face, expecting to see her lips curled into the usual, beautiful smile, but instead, I saw tears fall from her eyes as she stared at the ground. My expression fell. "Laney? What's wrong?" I reached for her face to see if I could get her to look at me, but she suddenly closed the distance between us and wrapped her arms around me as she cried into my chest. I froze for a moment. It's not like we'd never hugged, but all the sudden switches from turned-on, to panic, to this...It required a lot of attention on my part and was somewhat mentally exhausting. "Laney, honey, come inside," I pulled her into my room and closed the door, then walked her over to my bed. She sat on the edge of the mattress and I knelt on the floor in front of her. "Talk to me, Laney." I took one of her hands in mine and pushed her hair behind her ear with the other.

"Justin," she sniffled.

"Justin?" I asked. Her current on-and-off boyfriend of about 6 months now. She had started bringing him to our practices a month or so ago. I hated it when she did that. I think he knew I liked her. At the very least, he knew it really got under my skin when they acted like a couple in front of me. Every time we took a break, he would be all over her. _Touching_ her. It made me sick. And every time, he would glance at me to make sure I was watching before he kissed her. I honestly couldn't tell if he actually cared for her, or if she had just become somewhat of an unspoken competition between our dominant male prides. Either way, It came as no surprise to me that he was the root of her problems. Just the sound of his name made me want to punch his lights out. "What did he do this time? I'll kill him." And believe me, if I thought I could get away with keeping his body in my freezer, I would.

"He left me for another girl," she sobbed.

"He _what?_" It really bothered me that all these guys took her for granted, and here I was, if she'd just give me a chance...However, Laney seldom broke up with anyone, she was quite a committed person, and I'm sure I looked like a man-whore to her. I hadn't been in a real relationship since sophomore year, since then only having one-night-stands with some of our fans. I couldn't expect her to put herself out there for someone like me if she could only see the guarantee of a broken heart. "He doesn't deserve someone like you, Lanes..."

"But I–but I _loved_ him," she stuttered through her sobs. Here we go again. It was always the end of the world with this guy. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why he had such a strong hold on her. Personally, I was glad things were over between them, although there was the inherent possibility that they would get back together like always. She finally looked up at me. God, I couldn't help but notice that she looked beautiful, even with tears streaming down her cheeks. "What did I do wrong?"

This question caught me by surprise. _He_ leaves _her_, and she blames herself for it? "Nothing, Laney!" I reassured her as I lightly ran my hand up and down her back. "He was an asshole, everyone thought so. Listen to me, Lanes, you have guys falling at your feet all the time. I know you could find one that would treat you better than him."

Laney was quiet, her sobbing had finally subsided. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had broken eye contact with me to stare at the ground once again, but I was just glad I had been able to calm her down.

"Anyway, your birthday is in three days," I reminded her. "You're gonna be 18! We're gonna play a great show that night, then we're all gonna come back here to my house and get drunk together. My mom and dad are gone on vacation all week, and Kin and I are in the process of getting rid of Trina for that night. I'm going to make sure you have the best birthday of your life." Still no response from her. "Now come on," I took her chin in my hand and raised her face to look at me, "Let me see that smile of yours."

Laney gave a small grin. "Thanks Corey," she said as she wiped her tears away. "For everything. I know it gets kind of old, me coming to you when I'm upset, but...I really appreciate it. You're my best friend, I wouldn't have it any other way."

_Ouch._ I knew she was trying to be sweet, and that she'd said this to me a million times before, but every time she stabbed me through the heart with the friend-zone knife hurt worse than the previous time. "Me neither," I lied, smiling in return, determined to not let her see how hard those words hit me.

"I can't wait for my birthday," she bought it as she stood up and spun around in the middle of my room. Why did she have to be so damn cute? "Thanks for putting all that together for me. I've never actually had someone throw me a party before." She spoke with such genuine happiness.

"Well hey," I sat on the edge of my bed and watched her dance around my room. "It's the least I can do for my," I hesitated as I struggled to finish the sentence. "_Best friend._"

Those words were cold as fucking ice as they slipped from my tongue. Laney really paid no mind to my tone as she sat down at my computer desk and wiggled the mouse to wake up the screen. "_Whoa-ho-ho_ there," she turned around to look at me and pointed at the screen. It took me a moment to remember—I had clicked out of her pictures, but not out of her profile. God damn... "You aren't creepin' on me or anything, are you?" She stuck her tongue out playfully at me and turned her attention back to the computer as she logged out of my account. I really needed to be more careful next time.

"So, we still have practice tomorrow," I said, attempting to nonchalantly ignore her question as I leaned back on my bed with my hands folded behind my head. "You gonna be able to make it?" Previously, she had told us that she wouldn't be at tomorrow's practice because Justin was taking her out. What a fucking joke. In any case, we really needed all the practice we could get with our big show this Saturday.

"Yeah," she said as she changed her Facebook relationship status to 'single.'

"Are you sure?" I teased. "All those Facebook guys will be jumping on you like fresh meat now." Just the thought of another womanizer trying to get into her pants really made my blood boil. "A different one might wanna take you out on a date tomorrow."

"Oh, shut up," Laney laughed at me. "Not gonna happen." She logged out of her account.

"Soooo, you wanna stick around for a bit tonight?" I asked her as I sat up and she twisted around in my computer chair. "We can Redbox some scary movies. Make some popcorn. I'll grab you and make you jump at the scary parts."

"As much as I _love_ it when you do that," Laney spoke sarcastically as she smirked. "I think I'm gonna head home for the night." My heart dropped in my chest. Turned down and friend-zoned in the same day, huh... "I just didn't want to come home with tears in my eyes and make my parents worry about me. I knew you could calm me down. Maybe we can do that tomorrow night after practice?"

I smiled back at her. "I'm down."


	2. Pussy of the Year

_A/N: OKAY, so here's the deal. I'm going to shoot for an update at least once a week from now on. I know I was pretty quick with these first two chapters, but I won't be updating for the rest of this week because I need to focus on my polysci final on Friday. I'm sorry, I know some of you guys are really impatient (as am I), but I want to make sure I have time to edit my work and make it as high quality as I can for my readers. You guys deserve it! Thank you so much for the reviews, you don't know how much it means. I'm glad you guys think I'm doing well so far. As I said, there will be a wonderful lemony scene with Corey and Laney, but it will be later. I really only have ideas for two or three more chapters after this, so that may be where I end up stopping, but we will see. I will be sure to keep my audience informed._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Pussy of the Year**

The next day, it felt so great not to have Justin at our practice. Laney was actually focusing on our music, and she conversed with us when we took breaks (compared to how she would usually make out with Justin in the corner and let him grope her, in _my_ fucking garage nonetheless). Unfortunately, and I hate to admit this, Justin had been good for one thing, and that was distraction. Because he wasn't there for her to focus her attention on, she ended up catching me staring at her a few times, much to my own embarrassment. I really wasn't doing very well in attempting to redeem myself from creeper status so far. But overall, practice went pretty well. Our tunes sounded clean, which was most important for now.

When we finished practicing, I walked out to Kon's car with him. It was Kin and Laney's turn to clean up our practice space.

"Hey man, are you and Laney interested in grabbing a bite to eat with Kin and I?" Kon asked as we walked down my driveway toward his jeep. He was twirling one of his drumsticks in his fingers; an automatic habit he had picked up a few years ago. "We could hit up the mall or something."

"Sorry man," I said as I leaned on the back of his car. "But Lanes and I have a scary movie night planned."

"Really?" Kon's eyes got wide with curiosity. "Are you guys...Like...You know...?"

I laughed. "No dude," I finally managed to speak. "It's not like that." Although wished I could say it was.

"Corey," Kon grabbed my shoulders with his strong hands and pulled me from my comfortable spot on his car. His eyes were serious, and I swear, if I didn't know the kid so well, I would have been scared shitless with a guy as big and intimidating being this forceful. "She's _single_ now. You know that, right?"

"I know, man," I rolled my eyes. It was _always_ like this when Laney became temporarily single. Kon really tried to be a good wingman, but he just wasn't very good at it. One only had to look at his progress (or better yet, lack of progress) with Trina to realize that. "I just don't want to—"

"Then make a move!" Kon shook my body aggressively. "There's no one standing in your way now!"

"She just broke up with Justin," I said plainly. Have I mentioned yet how much I hated that name? I couldn't believe I was using that fuckface as an excuse. "I don't want to be her rebound."

"You're on a whole different level than Justin," Kon reassured me. I sure hoped I was. I would do more for Laney if she decided she hated me tomorrow than he would if they got back together tomorrow. "Listen Corey, you'll never know how she feels about you unless you get out of your damn comfort zone once in a while and take a chance!"

I contemplated this for a moment. The worst possible outcome would be her completely dropping me as her friend and in turn, the band losing our incredibly outspoken bassist. I couldn't really see her doing that though; a childhood friendship of countless years all thrown away because of what? I made _one_ stupid mistake? Well, okay, so maybe I had made more than one mistake involving our friendship. I raised my arm and placed my hand on Kon's shoulder in response. "I'll think about it, Kon."

He released me. "You know, that's your problem, man. You think about things too much. When it comes to stuff like this, you really just need to go with the flow. Do what your heart tells ya." He clutched at his chest with his right hand. Scratch my intimidation comment. Kon would always be a big, harmless teddy bear.

"Just like the way you go with the flow when it comes to my sister, right?" I remarked sarcastically. So maybe I wasn't the greatest wingman either. I didn't have a great relationship with Trina though, it's not like she would ever want to have anything to do with any of my friends.

"That's not funny" Kon teased as he playfully punched my arm, however, the force behind the punch suggested that his comment was somewhat serious.

"Did I hear you guys talking about how Corey has problems?" Kin's joking voice sounded from behind us as he approached Kon and I with Laney following suit.

"Don't even get me started on Corey," Laney teased. _Oh, man_. If she only knew. My list of problems was long, but sexual frustration was definitely at the very top, directly connected with her in my mind. I don't mean to come off as the typical teenage guy; my feelings for Laney spanned far beyond my sexual satisfaction. But the thing is, I was a teenage guy, and honestly, I would have killed to bang her.

"Well, Kin and I will see you two later," Kon said as he hopped into the driver's seat of the brothers' big jeep. "Practice tomorrow, right?"

"That's right," I responded as Kin stepped into the front passenger side.

"Then the day after is our long anticipated Spring Break show!" Kin said excitably as he closed the door and rolled down the window. "You two have fun!"

Laney and I waved our goodbyes as the brothers drove away blasting Four Year Strong with all four windows rolled down. I loved my band. I was going to be really upset if we all ended up having to go our separate ways in a few months.

"WELL," Laney slapped my back and I was harshly brought back to reality. "Do tell me what movies you had in mind?"

I hesitated a moment, still adjusting to reality. Spacing out kind of had that effect on me. "Well, would you rather watch a scary-scary movie, or more of a fail-scary, almost funny movie?" _Please say scary-scary._ With any luck, she actually would get scared and cling to me. A guy could dream, right?

"You're joking, right?" Laney planted her hands on her hips. She looked annoyed. Had I said something wrong? "I came over here to see a real scary movie! Not some funny shit!"

I laughed. "Of course, Lanes." Kon was right. I really was over-thinking things, wasn't I? God, this must be what women feel like. Just let the record show that I am so sorry that girls have to go through this, and I will never scrutinize a female for over-thinking situations ever again. Side note, I was quite pleased by Laney's preference.

Laney and I walked back into my house and she plopped herself down on our couch.

"Trina!" I called up the stairs. "Laney and I have dibs on the living room TV for a few hours!"

"That won't be a problem!" Trina yelled back before she emerged from the bathroom covered in make-up and wearing a rather raunchy-looking dress. "I'm going to the club with my girls for the night."

"Have fun," I said without really thinking about it. To be honest, I didn't really care if she had fun or not. "Laney and I will be here for awhile."

"Just use protection if you guys do anything, alright?"

This comment really took me a moment to process. Hold on. _What?_ What did my sister just say?

"We don't need a bunch of little Coreys running around."

_Really, Trina? Really?_ My face felt hot; there was no doubt that my sister's awkward comment just made me blush like mad. I could hear Laney stifling a giggle from the couch. Oh my God, I was too embarrassed to even turn around and face her now. Was it so blatantly obvious to everyone that I liked her?

"Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Corey," Trina said. Before I even had time to process and organize words into a response, to particularly deny having any sort of physical relationship with Laney, Trina was out the door and on her way downtown. As soon as the door clicked behind my sister, Laney burst into laughter.

"Oh my God, your sister," Laney said between huffs of laughter. I was surprised at how well she was taking this. "I'm so sorry, but that was just too funny."

"Yeah," was all I could muster as I turned around and scanned my family's shelf of DVDs, hoping she wouldn't take notice of my red face. Goddammit, Trina. Laney's laugher died away as I used the remote to flip on the TV. "S-so," I stuttered, still recovering from my humiliating moment. "I'm in the mood for a zombie flick. What say you?"

"Sounds great," Laney respnded, eyes glued to her iPhone as she texted furiously. Alright, _28 Weeks Later_ it was, then. I wondered if she was texting Justin. Maybe they _would_ get back together. I pulled the DVD case from its shelf and took the disc out before placing it in the player. When I came back and settled myself next to her on the couch, she turned her phone off and set it on the coffee table next to her seat.

The movie began playing, and the opening sequence started. I have to be honest—this was really the only part that I sort of paid attention to. I had seen this movie a million times over, and I really was focusing more on Laney sitting next to me, trying to muster up any courage that I could to break the awkward physical contact barrier between us right now. Her facial expressions and the way she really got into movies and identified with characters was really cute. She was so focused on the pictures flashing across the screen. At some point, I draped my arm over the back of the couch.

It was then that Laney let out a long sigh and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Sorry," she apologized, sitting up at once when she realized what she was doing.

"Don't be," I moved my arm down from the back of the couch to give her a one-armed hug. I nonchalantly left my arm around her shoulders after that. She didn't seem to think anything of it, and stayed there resting on my shoulder.

_Oh my God._ Her boob. It was _right there._ Just inches away from my fingers. The hand of the arm I had wrapped around her shoulders was hovering directly over it. Everything inside me was screaming that this might be the only opportunity I ever got to touch the perfection that was her chest. _You'll never know unless you get out of your comfort zone, Corey. Stop being a pussy and just do it!_ Girls like ballsy moves like that. Don't they? I was sure they all loved a male figure with confidence. But I was frozen. I don't know how long I sat there contemplating my next move. Too long.

About halfway through the movie, Laney decided to get more comfortable. She adjusted herself so that she could lay down on the couch and rest her head on my lap. Any further and her head would have been touching my...

That was when the worst happened. I could feel my dick hardening again. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._ Her face was _right next to my crotch._ My dilemma was getting worse with each passing second. I needed to get this boner down, and fast. Distract yourself, Corey..._Saggy tits. Trina. Spiders. A-B-C-D-E-F-G..._It was no good. And it was starting to hurt in the constraint of my skinny jeans.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't make a move on Laney.

Beginning to panic, I looked desperately around the room, unsure of what to do. I settled for my last resort.

"I have to go to the bathroom," I excused myself as I quickly jumped up from the couch cushions, trying not to disturb her peaceful position too much (but ultimately failing), and dashed out of the room, hoping she wouldn't see the bulge in my pants.

"Alright, well," Laney's voice sounded confused, no doubt by my sudden urgency. "Hurry back."

I slammed the bathroom door shut and pulled my pants down. I immediately felt relieved at having abated the pain of my penis pushing against my jeans. I pulled the toilet seat and cover down and sat on the edge of the toilet, wasting no time in beginning to stroke myself. Being so turned on, I didn't really have enough brain capacity to realize how disconcerting this whole situation must look to others, or how flat-out desperate I really was making myself out to be. I had a one track mind in this moment; _rub this damn thing out._

In the back of my mind, I felt a little embarrassed, having run out on Laney like that. But at the same time, the thought of her in the next room over really excited me. How fucking amazing would it have been if she innocently came to check on me and ended up pleasuring me? I fantasized about her joining me in the bathroom and sucking me off. Her tongue tracing circles around my head. Up and down my shaft. Then, slowly at first, she'd take the whole thing in her mouth. _Oh, God._

I stroked myself faster.

I'd push her up against the wall and she'd wrap her legs around my torso. Then I would fuck her until she couldn't take anymore. Her cute little breasts rubbing against my chest while I pumped in and out of her. She'd be moaning _my_ name because of the way _I_ was making her feel. _Yes, yes._ She would tell me she was close. I wouldn't let her cum yet. _"Say please,"_ I would whisper, nibbling on her earlobe. My little Laney would beg me to go faster, to make her cum. Only then would I oblige.

My toes started to curl. I was getting close.

I'd fuck her hard and fast, lightning-round style. She would whimper and moan when she came, her body convulsing and twitching as she did so. I'd slow down as her pussy squeezed and released me, over and over again. Then I'd pull out. So close, I'd continue stroking myself, and ask her where she wanted it. She'd drop to her knees and open her mouth for my cum shot. Her eager, submissive, naked body right in front of me would be just enough to make me—

I gasped when I came in the small bathroom, shooting my cum all over the wall in front of me.

_Holy shit._

I sat there in total shock for just a few seconds. I closed my eyes. Had I really just gotten off fantasizing about Laney, with only the bathroom door in right next to me separating us? If you guys didn't think I was desperate before, I'm sure this just confirmed it for you. This was the level I'd dropped to? Jerking it in the bathroom when Laney came over?

_And the Pussy of the Year Award goes to..._

"Are you taking a shit the size of Canada in there or something?" Laney's voice startled me and I almost fell off the edge of the toilet. "You've been in there awhile and you keep making weird noises."

"Yeah," was all I could muster. Needless to say, thinking on my feet was not a talent of mine. I grabbed a handful of toilet paper and started wiping up the mess I'd made on the wall.

"Well hurry it up and push that motherfucker out," Laney laughed. "You're missing some great zombie massacres here!"

Any other time, I would have laughed and found Laney's vulgar pestering quite humorous. But I was still in too much shock. I wiped the last bit of cum off my dick. Okay, so I had a problem. This sexual frustration was driving me crazy. It had been months since we played a show and I'd had a groupie to fuck. Even though we had a show the day after tomorrow, it was Laney's birthday, and I wouldn't have time for a quickie with one of the trashy fangirls. I needed to think of a solution soon, I couldn't get used to doing this. If I'd just had the courage to make a move, then maybe...

_Nice job, Pussy of the Year,_ I thought to myself as I tucked my limp penis back into my pants. I threw the wad of toilet paper into the toilet and flushed before washing my hands, too embarrassed and ashamed of myself to look at my reflection in the mirror as I did so. I dried my hands and emerged from the bathroom to see Laney curled up on her side of the couch cuddling a pillow.

Why couldn't I be that pillow?


	3. Basic Math

_A/N: You ask, I deliver. I do apologize for the wait once again, thankfully I am now done with my main summer class and will have more free time to do stuff like write ridiculous fanfiction. One comment I keep getting is that people think that my story is well-written. I would just like to say that I appreciate EVERY TIME I get a comment like that, as I really do take my time writing descriptively and narratively and I edit and revise my work as much as I can before publishing. ^.^ Next chapter will have little-to-no sexual content...Sorry! Big plans for chapter 5 though, stay tuned._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Basic Math**

If you were wondering how the rest of mine and Laney's movie night went, then stop. Much to my own disappointment, _nothing happened._ Long story short, it was awkward; I couldn't pay attention to the rest of the movie (psh, as if I'd been paying attention up to that point, right?), I mostly sat there feeling sorry for myself. And guess what? I wanked it _again_ as soon as Laney left that night. It really was just like me to mope and complain, and then do literally nothing to help myself. I'm telling you, I was fucking living proof that emo's not dead.

Nitty, gritty, down-to-earth practice was all the next day had in store for us. That was, until Kin suggested we take a dip in the community pool right down the street. It was so unusually hot outside for the Spring, that I didn't think much of the suggestion. It just sounded like a great way for us to cool down for a bit. I even knocked on Trina's bedroom door to ask if she was interested in joining us. Once again, I wasn't thinking much when I did, I was honestly only trying to be polite. So the last thing I expected was for her to accept my invitation before she grabbed a swimsuit and towel and began walking down the street with all of us. Of course, Kon was ecstatic about my sister coming along, but I wasn't too thrilled. She'd never shown any interest in spending time with me or my band, and therefore, I was convinced that she had to have ulterior motives of some kind. Then I got to thinking; she'd probably just lounge at the side of the pool and work on her all-natural tan the whole time, and occasionally gripe at one of us when we splashed her. My mind was set at ease once again. I had nothing to worry about. Until Laney emerged from the bathroom in her bikini.

I was sitting at the side of the pool in my dark blue swim trunks next to my sister as she settled herself to tan when Laney walked out of the bathroom in her firetruck-red bikini, which seemed to match the shade of her hair perfectly. She had a white towel slung over one shoulder and a pair of sunglasses on. She looked like an on-set movie star. The area was somewhat crowded, but that was to be expected at a neighborhood pool. Laney _glowed_ in comparison to everyone else; a few guys even did noticeable double takes at her. I reminisced for a moment; who would have thought that little tomboy Laney would have turned out to have such a stunning feminine figure?

I got the privilege of admiring her flawless legs when she walked right in front of me before she sat on a chair closer to the other side of the pool and pulled her hair into a messy bun. My heart skipped a beat and my dick stiffened in anticipation when she pulled out a tube of sunscreen. I honestly hadn't realized I'd been practically drooling over her this whole time until Trina punched me hard in the arm and forced me out of my dreamlike daze.

"You're gonna get kicked out of here for being a pervert if you keep staring at her ass like that," Trina scolded. Laney's butt hadn't even crossed my mind yet, _mmm, dat ass..._Dammit, Trina! I was thankful that there was enough noise to cover my sister's voice. "What you guys do in private is your own business, but you're in public—"

"Shhhh!" I cut her off desperately as her voice increased in volume. I glanced across the pool to make sure Laney hadn't caught any of that. She was lathering oily sunscreen all over her chest, then her legs, _oh man_...For a moment, I almost fell back into my daze, but I shook myself out of it.

"Wait a minute," Trina sat up abruptly from the chair as she took the hint and lowered her voice. "You two aren't..." I shook my head. "And she doesn't know..." I shook my head again. "_Well_ now, this makes things _much_ more interesting." She grinned evilly, an easy-to-read _I'm-going-to-out-your-crush_ grin. My heart dropped at the thought of my sister revealing my feelings to Laney. At the very least, any semi-boner I'd had before had deflated by this point. _Talk about a buzzkill..._

I needed a way out of this one, and fast.

"I swear, if you tell her," I tried to sound calm, but I knew my voice was shaky. I thought to myself frantically. I didn't know what else to say, I had been saving this to get her out of the house tomorrow for Laney's birthday party, but in my panicked state, I needed something _really good _to hold against her. "I'll tell mom and dad about your failing GPA and that you're on academic probation."

Trina's expression turned to one of utter terror. "How–how do you—"

"Kin's got a way with technology," I regained a bit of confidence, her expression clearly revealing that I had the upper hand. "He was able to hack into your student account and check your grades for last semester."

"You," she sat up and took her sunglasses off. "You wouldn't—"

"_I would,_" I stated firmly. "No more friends, no more college parties, no more _freedom._"

There was a moment of silence between us, as Kin and Kon jumped into the pool together with an enormous splash. Laney looked across the pool at me. She wasn't wearing her sunglasses anymore. When we made eye contact, she grinned and waved at me before walking over to sit on the edge of the pool and dipping her feet in the water.

"You really like her, huh?" Trina had taken notice of mine and Laney's wordless exchange.

I nodded, but I couldn't bring myself to look back at my sister. Laney's delicate feet kicked through the surface of the water. Why did my sister care who I liked?

"Fine," Trina spoke. _What?_ Now my head snapped back to her. I couldn't believe Trina had just... "But don't think I'm going to help you get her. That's your own problem."

After all these years of our persistent bickering and sibling rivalry, my sister was opting to be _kind_ to me? I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. _Ouch. _This was extremely out-of-character for my maniacal sister.

"Thanks," was all I could muster in response. I guess it couldn't hurt to ask about tomorrow night while she was in such an apparently good mood. "I have one more thing to ask."

"What is it?" She laid back on the lounge chair once again.

"I was planning on throwing a birthday party for her at our house tomorrow night after the show," I was hoping she'd catch on without me having to say more. An outing to the community pool was one thing, but I really didn't want my sister looming around like a curse tomorrow night.

"I'll find something to do tomorrow evening," Trina said. "But I swear to God Corey, if you're planning on getting that poor girl drunk and then taking advantage of her—"

"_Fuck no,_" I stopped her in her tracks. I was well aware my sister and I didn't really know each other very well, but did she really think I would stoop to that level? "We've been friends for a long time, Trina. I really care about her."

My sister smiled, eyes hidden behind her dark sunglasses again. "Then have fun, I won't stand in your way," she waved me away from her tanning spot so that I wouldn't be blocking her sun. "_This _time." She peeked over the top of her shades and winked at me.

Well, I'll be damned. Let the record show our first brother-sister truce. Even if it was only temporary. _And_ we were in the clear for tomorrow night's celebration. I smirked victoriously. I looked back at Laney. Kin and Kon were trying to coax her into getting into the water. I could be grateful for something else too; there had been no sign of Justin coming back into her life. Although, there was no guarantee that her next boyfriend wouldn't be even more of a dick. How come every pretty girl ends up with a shitty guy? Oh man, those would actually make for some killer lyrics..._I feel like young love is a lie, how come every pretty girl ends up with a shitty guy?_ I made a mental note for a new song.

Laney stood up on the edge when Kin and Kon began trying to drag her into the water by her legs. I grinned. I walked around the pool to Laney's figure.

"Finally," she smiled at me as I approached her. "These jerks were just—"

I cut her off as I picked her up by her legs and hauled her over my shoulder. I could do this. She was beautiful, sexy, and damn near everything in between, but I was having a great day that _would not_ be ruined by sexual anxiety. She squealed in protest as I jumped into the pool with her figure in my arms. The water was cold on my skin, and she managed to escape my grasp once in the pool. I came up just in time to watch her gracefully emerge from the water. Her red hair got a bit darker when wet. God, she was fucking gorgeous. Even when she was glaring daggers at me. I laughed when she began spitefully splashing me.

"You loved it," I teased as I floated over to her.

"Like hell I did," she jumped on my back, wrapping her legs around my torso, and tried to arm-bar my neck playfully. I used her weight against her and threw her head-first over my shoulder and into the water. The four of us goofed off in the pool for quite awhile, and absolutely nothing from Trina. She just kept her mouth shut, hoping her dedication would pay off and her skin would be a nice even shade of gold after today. I caught Kon staring at her multiple times, and I was admittedly sort of jealous, wishing Laney was the tanning type so that I could stare at her like that as well. However, things seemed to be going well, I was careful with the touchy-feely way we played around. I was trying to make up for the shitty way yesterday went, and the way I handled things.

"Let's play chicken," Kin climbed onto Kon's shoulders. Oh man, the dreaded words...

Before I even had time to respond, Laney proclaimed her agreement and was climbing on my back to sit on mine. This could end badly for me. She straddled my head and I held onto her soft legs to steady her. It took a lot to keep from feeling her legs more than was necessary for the game we were about to play. I just wanted to plant my lips on one of her calves, to worship her body like the Goddess she was...Before I had time to register it, that feeling was coming back. The sexual frustration. No, things were going too damn well for them to end this way...Just when I thought things were hopeless, the chorus of _Chunk! No, Captain Chunk_'s "In Friends We Trust" sounded from the poolside; Laney's unmistakable ringtone.

"Crap, I need to take that," Laney spoke as she slid off the back of my shoulders and waded to the nearest ladder. She liked to watch her language in the presence of children.

_Oh thank God._ I was saved! _Hah! _Take _that,_ perverted thoughts! Corey will _not_ be a slave to his sexual frustration today!

I floated there contentedly until she got out of the water. That was when I realized I'd failed to remember basic math: _wet chick + bikini = boner._

I guess I just sort of gaped at the sight of her wet swimsuit clinging provocatively to her womanly curves. Trina was right; her ass _was_ phenomenal today, how in the world had I overlooked it earlier? The bouncing of her little butt cheeks were much more pronounced in her bikini, rather than skinny jeans. I felt stirring in my loins when she turned around and I could barely make out the nubs of her nipples through the wet swimsuit.

_No, no, no, no, no..._This wasn't happening again_._ _Be cool, Corey._ I had nothing to worry about; I was in the water, after all. Refraction was a fundamental law of physics, and it guaranteed no one would be able to see the bulge in my trunks. _Praise be to science. _I'd be okay as long as I was in the pool. Right?

Wrong. The constraint of the rough, wet fabric of my swim trunks somehow hurt worse than my regular skinny jeans. What if Laney and I started horsing around again and she felt something hard in my swimwear?

That was it. I didn't care anymore. My sudden sense of urgency forced me to resort to _Operation: Pussy of the Year_ once again. Without hesitation, I swam to the side of the pool closest to the public bathroom.

"Where are you going, Corey?" Kon called.

"Bathroom," I responded quickly. There were no stairs or ladders on this side of the pool, but I didn't care. I had to reduce the amount of time I spent within eyesight as much as I could on the way to the bathroom. I winced as my boner rubbed painfully against the side of the pool when I pushed myself out of the water. I glanced back at Laney, careful not to expose myself, but I wished I hadn't. She wore the same expression as yesterday, when I left her hanging during our movie night. But I didn't have time to dwell on it.

I attempted to nonchalantly cover my crotch with one hand as I pushed the door to the men's restroom open with the other. I was startled and embarrassed when three elementary-aged boys immediately ran out, but they didn't seem to notice my awkward posture. I hurried into the bathroom and went for the first empty stall. I slammed the stall door shut and dead bolted it. There was no toilet cover to sit on in this somewhat busy public bathroom. I pulled my wet swim trunks down and let my fully exposed erection out before I sat down on the toilet seat. Truthfully, it was a typical disgusting public bathroom, but it would have to do this time. I started stroking myself. Once again, I hadn't the ability to imagine how I might feel afterwards. I was so obsessed with the in-the-moment idea of feeling good.

_Just like last time, Corey..._I imagined Laney's wet figure in front of me in the locked bathroom stall, and fully immersed myself into my fantasy once again. First, she'd let me untie her swim suit and play with her tits. I would take my sweet time in appreciating them to the fullest extent; kissing and sucking her nipples until they became almost as hard as my dick. Then she'd come over and straddle me on the toilet for a kinky public fucking.

_Ah, here we go._ I could feel all the blood rushing to my penis as I pumped myself harder. The constant shuffling of feet, running water, and voices in the echoing bathroom had become nothing but white noise.

She'd go slowly at first. I would love having her on top, almost as much as I loved being the one dominating her. Her tits would bounce with each thrust. Eventually, her moans of pleasure would increase in volume._ "Shh," _I would whisper into my cute little Laney's ear as I covered her mouth with one hand, never stopping my constant pelvic motions in contrary to hers as I did so. _"You don't want anyone to hear us, do you?" _Her muffled noises of pleasure would only resolve to excite me more.

_Oh God, yes. _I threw my head back and my toes did their involuntary curling.

We would keep this up for some time, people coming and going from the bathroom as she rode me. The excitement of the possibility of being caught at any moment would only get me off faster. She would pry my hand from her mouth and beg in exasperated, desperate whispers to make her come. My dear little Laney knew me so well; how could I not when she begged me like that? I would hold her hips in place and thrust upwards harder as I placed my hand back over her mouth. She may have been on top, but I would _always_ be in control. Before long, her pussy would contract around my dick and her body would shake with orgasmic spasms as I suppressed her satisfactory whimpers. _  
_

I was almost fucking there.

_"Where do you want it this time?" _I would whisper to her. She would nibble my earlobe and plead to me, _"I want you to come inside me, Corey."_

I was unable to stifle my gasp when I came (harder than I usually did, might I add) all over my own hand. I automatically tried to play it off as a bad cough.

_Public masturbation? Really, Corey? _I know I didn't really have the right to be disgusted at myself, but I was; mainly at the male race's obsession with immediate gratification. I knew I lost any sense of level-headedness with an erection, every time.

I admitted defeat and did my usual clean up with a wad of toilet paper. I _couldn't_ keep doing this. Finding someone to fuck at the show tomorrow felt so tempting, but I knew I probably wouldn't have enough time with Laney's birthday celebration. It was fine, everything would be okay, as long as Laney would be happy tomorrow, I could be too. I pulled my trunks back up, threw my cum wad into the toilet, and habitually flushed. I sighed as I vacated my stall and began washing my hands. I still felt somewhat distant from reality; despite not being consumed by my kinky fantasy anymore, I still wasn't paying any attention to the constant commotion around me.

I proceeded to leave the bathroom once again. I stood in the shade of the building for a moment as my eyes adjusted to the light. Laney was wrapped in her white towel at the side of the pool. Kin and Kon were drying off as well. Even Trina was getting ready to leave. I sighed. As soon as I stepped into the sunlight, an all-too familiarly uncomfortable feeling plagued my skin.

Then I realized—I had forgotten to apply sunscreen when we'd arrived because I was too busy staring at Laney. _Hello, sunburn._


	4. Song of the Sirens

_A/N: Okay so, I kind of lied. I ended up splitting this chapter into two, since it was so long. I feel the need to apologize; there's no sexual content in this, or the next chapter. Although, I do trust that anyone still reading by this point is genuinely invested in the story I've set up, so please forgive me for blue-balling all of you guys, and I PROMISE, chapter 6 will get steamy. I don't know if I am planning on continuing this story after their vacation is over, so I am considering changing the name to "Spring Break," rather than "Senior Year." Questions, comments, suggestions, rebuttals, and opinions on this matter are all appreciated and will be taken into consideration._

* * *

**Chapter 4: Song of the Sirens**

"Corey Riffin!" Came the millionth girly squeal of the night. I glanced up from my unfinished text to see two predictable-looking fangirls standing over me.

It was finally the night of the show. My band and I had all been working the merch stand together earlier. We weren't one of those egotistical bands who wouldn't take the time to talk to fans. We knew we were nothing without those who came out to our shows and supported us. So, we cared about communicating with them, and making them feel special. Although, I'd be lying if I said it didn't annoy me when certain types of fangirls approached me. But they weren't the worst fans we had; that title belonged to Laney's fanboys. Watching them interact with her, the way some of them made it so obvious that they _wanted_ her...It was difficult to keep my cool.

Tonight, for example, one guy had come up and wished Laney a happy 18th birthday and promised he had the best birthday present for her; all she had to do was follow him to the bathroom to get it. Alright, now I know that after last chapter, I'm sounding like the biggest hypocrite, but I was fuming at that suggestion. In my enraged state, I had never been so tempted to fling myself across the merch table at a fan. But I didn't give her enough credit, she'd been through worse in the last five years and was good at painlessly turning obsessive fans like that down. Regardless, it was irritating, to say the least, to watch her get hit on. I just had to bite my tongue _really really hard_ and trust her to handle things.

"What can I do for you ladies?" I forced a smile, despite the fact that my mind was reeling as I thought about Laney's fans. I was the only one working the merch table at the moment. My good buddy Daniel was supposed to be here to tap out with me a long time ago, but he was late. The rest of the band had gone backstage to get ready for our set when the last band finished. I had volunteered to wait here until Daniel arrived.

They giggled together. Then one of them spoke. "Would you sign my Grojband shirt?" She held out a red shirt with artwork Kon had designed a few months ago.

I grabbed a sharpie. "Sure thing."

The same one handed the shirt to me. More giggling. I know I seem annoyed, but I really wasn't. This was part of being in a band. I'd just seen this same scenario far too many times to show any real interest. I signed the fabric, next to the art print. No matter how many times I had done this, my signature always looked sloppy on anything but paper. I returned the shirt to the girl who had given it to me. They didn't seem to mind my unreadable scribble as they giggled some more and waved their goodbyes before disappearing into the dense crowd.

"Corey," I was so glad it wasn't a fangirl's voice this time. I was beyond relieved to see Daniel. He joined me behind the table and took his backpack off. "I'm so sorry I'm late, man. Are you gonna have enough time to get ready?"

"We've got ten more minutes," I stood up. "But my band is probably going apeshit crazy back there wondering where I am, so I'm gonna have to leave you right now. Sorry I don't have more time to chat."

"I'll hold down the fort," Daniel saluted to me. "So I'll pack everything up after your set and meet you back at your house so we can do some shots later, right?"

"That's the plan," I grinned at the straightforward way he had included alcohol in his question as we bumped fists.

"Good luck, and have a great show," Daniel said before I jumped the merch table and submerged myself into the sea of people.

As I made my way toward the backstage security gate, I could hear my name being called from what felt like every direction. A few people even attempted to stop me, but I didn't have time to be distracted right now. It wasn't until a certain voice stood out to me, that I stopped in my tracks.

"Hey, Corey," the familiar feminine voice sounded over the noisy crowd. I didn't even have to turn around to know whom the seductive twang belonged to. I sighed. _Here we go._ I should have just kept moving, why did I stop? "I've missed you." She wrapped her arms around me from behind and pressed herself against my back, and although I knew she was trying to be sexy, the fact that I had been sunburned yesterday only made this position feel uncomfortable.

"Not tonight, Alison," I rolled my eyes as I shrugged her off. Low-and-behind, ladies and gentlemen, slut rank number one. She was, for lack of a better term, my booty call. A convenient hookup from time to time. And I needed to get away from her now before she used her mind tricks to seduce me and I did something I would regret later. I continued toward the backstage entrance.

"Come on," she pled, grabbing my arm and pulling me to another halt. I turned around to look at her. "I know when you're tense. I can suck you off in three minutes flat. Haven't you missed me?" Her eyebrows curved upward and her bottom lip protruded in her award-winning pouty expression.

It's not like she wasn't attractive, because she was. Not that I really cared how she looked, when I usually pretended she was Laney while she pleasured me. On top of that, we'd been together enough times for her to know exactly what got me off by now. Any other night, I probably would have thought, _fuck it, the crowd can wait a few minutes,_ and taken her up on her offer without a second's hesitation. But tonight, I didn't have it in me to leave my band waiting while some trashy chick went down on me in the bathroom; especially with it being Laney's birthday and her knowing exactly how I was with some of these fangirls. For some reason, I could only picture her waiting backstage wearing the most heartbreakingly disappointed expression; knowing all too well that I had put the band second to the satisfaction of my selfish needs. God, the scene I was picturing made me wanna kick my own ass for thinking like such a dick. "I said, not tonight." I turned away from her once again.

"Why not?" Her grip was tight on my arm; she refused to let me leave.

"I have a show to play," you really had to be short and sweet with your excuses when it came to fangirls. These were the only times I would ever act the part of the stuck-up rockstar. "Plus it's Laney's birthday."

"It will only take a few minutes," she embraced me from behind again as she ran her hand over my crotch and squeezed. My dick twitched at the feeling of a touch other than my own and my body couldn't help but shudder. These horny fangirls were like evil little sirens. No matter how hard you tried to resist them, they would pursue you like a predator closing in on prey and use their hypnotic sexual female powers until you gave them what they wanted. Admittedly though, had I not been so eagerly determined to satisfy my own sexual needs and initiated a physical relationship between myself and Alison a few months ago, she probably wouldn't have been so persistent with me at every show thereafter. Therefore, I suppose there was no denying that I was partially to blame. It was so _hard_ to refuse her though, especially in my constant state of sexual frustration these days. Her going down on me definitely beat jerking it. Especially since I was so good at imagining it being Laney's eager mouth around my dick. Maybe I could afford to disappear for three minutes...

_Stop it, Corey!_ I fought with myself subconsciously. I couldn't leave my band waiting any longer. If I knew this girl, in addition to my own sexual tendencies, I wouldn't be capable of stopping at getting head. Laney would smile at me and say it was okay, but I could see right through her expressions, and I knew she would never truly forgive me.

"Apologies, Alison," I removed her hand from my crotch at my penis's regret. "But I don't have time to deal with you tonight." I quickly put distance between us before she tried to pull me back in to reconsider. I needed to catch up with my band and get onstage to play before more fangirls used their evil feminine powers against me. I was almost there anyway.

I flashed my performer pass to the security guard supervising the backstage entrance, and was immediately able to walk more freely and quickly in the less crowded area. My band wasn't standing far from the stage entrance; Laney had her bass slung over her shoulder, Kon was shirtless and holding a pair of drumsticks, and Kin looked like, well, whatever keyboardists look like before they go onstage. That, and he was the one holding my guitar case. A wave of relief washed over everyone when I approached.

"It's about time," Kin spoke as he handed me my guitar case.

"Two minutes," the backstage manager warned us as I set my case on a nearby table and opened it. I picked up my guitar and slung it over my left shoulder. Two minutes wasn't great warm-up time, but I'd have to make do.

For the first time in a long time, I could feel that nervous tickling sensation in the pit of my stomach as I did some last-minute practice, strumming a few chords quietly with my favorite light pick. _Pre-gig jitters_. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. There was no way we could have prepared ourselves better for this night. I knew things would be different once I got out onstage. Being in front of a crowd always made me a different person.

"Corey," Laney's voice pulled me straight from my meditational state. I opened my eyes to what I wished I could wake up to every day for the rest of my life. She was right in front of me—close to me. Her bass was hanging behind her back now, and her eyes were fixated on mine. And for a moment, I wished we weren't about to play a show, and that we could stay like this; eyes locked on each other. The moment between us was so intimate in an unspoken sort of way, I was so focused on her, and slowly, all of my fears and insecurities faded away as if they had never been there to begin with. Even the distant stinging sensation of my sunburn felt like nothing now. She slid her hand over the one I had rested on the neck of my guitar. "It isn't like you to get nervous."

But I wasn't anymore. The stage lights went out, and the crowd started cheering. Laney didn't miss a beat—her eyes still hadn't left mine. I was aware of the world around me, but none of it seemed to matter as much as her right then. Laney had a different sort of feminine power over me than the fangirls did. If I was merely a sailor and the fan girls were the sirens, singing their song of deception to lure me from my path and convince me to abandon my sense of morality so that they could drag me underwater, then Laney was a muse, singing her song for a different purpose—to bring joy unto others and unknowingly tapping into my conscience and making me better than the average horny sailor. Well, sometimes. She was _my_ muse. And she admittedly made me want her more than the sirens.

This moment was better than anything Alison could have made me feel. Kin and Kon disappeared from sight as they ran onstage together, followed by even louder cheers welcoming their appearance. As soon as we were alone, Laney took a step to eliminate the distance between us, and leaned in closer to me. Our faces were inches apart. The feeling of her touch...It was something that I never wanted to go away. I closed my eyes, and I was so lost in savoring the sensation of her closeness, I hadn't realized she'd leaned even closer. I was startled when I felt the heat of her nose on mine, and her top lip brushed gently against my bottom lip.

It's not that I would have never _killed_ to be like this with her; I wanted it more than anything. Which is why I felt so embarrassed when I suddenly panicked and flinched, bumping the strings of my now-plugged-in guitar into her torso. The scratching sound resonated through the stage speakers, and the crowd began chanting the band name. Laney leaned away from me. Someone working backstage had to have plugged my guitar in for me without warning. I sighed and mentally cursed at myself for _once again_ living up to the title of pussy. I had just ruined the most intimate I'd ever had with her.

"Knock 'em dead," Laney smiled at me, seemingly unfazed by the way I had hesitated. Without another word, she turned away from me and pulled her bass around in front of her before walking onstage to join Kin and Kon. Might I add—her butt looked great, as usual. She too was welcomed by the loud cheers of our fans. In the next moment, they were chanting _Corey_.

I didn't know what to think of what had just happened with Laney. I could have driven myself crazy with worry, wondering if the fact that _she _almost kissed _me_ meant that she cared for me the same way I cared for her. But I couldn't go onstage with my mind so clouded. I took a deep breath and focused on the performer I needed to become. I was Corey Riffin, the rockstar. I walked onto the dark stage. The crowd went wild at the sight of a fourth silhouette taking center stage. I stopped behind the center microphone and the cheering continued. Kon clicked us off with his drumsticks, and the blinding stage lights flashed on as soon as we struck the first chord. Above all else, I was a performer. I would always live for this moment.


	5. Douchebaggery

_A/N: Okay, so this one started off really short, but after I edited and added a lot of thought and feeling, it ended up being a pretty long chapter. Really glad I split chapter four into two. Sorry, as I said last chapter, no sex in this one. I'm blue-balling Corey and you folks again, but I will deliver in the end. I am still undecided about changing the name of the story._

_P.S. _**_Just some Fan-gi: _**_Oh my God, I don't know who you are, but I just wanted you to know that your comment really touched me. I __**never, ever, ever**__ have thought that I could be anything of a literary inspiration to anyone. I have been having the shittiest week, and it just made my day so much better when I read your review. I really hope you read this and I really wish you had a FanFiction account (or maybe you do, and in that case, I'm just wishing you had posted straight from it) so that I could read your writing! Once again I just feel so honored._

_And on a side note, I read ALL of my reviews and respond to EVERY message I receive, I'm not an asshole who thinks I'm too good for any of you! You guys are all great and I appreciate all of the support I have received thus far and that appreciation will not diminish as time goes on. Anyway, enjoy chapter 5!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Douchebaggery**

The loud cheering of the crowd rang through my ears, as I was the last of my band to depart from the stage. I grinned to myself, sweat dripping from my forehead due to the energy we expressed onstage, but I'm sure the hot, bright stage lights were as easy to blame as our exhilarating performance.

In short, I would say it was, without a doubt, one of the best shows we had played to date. I was quite fulfilled with the feeling of success, in having conveyed such a wide range of emotions to the crowd through nothing but music. As a musician, that was really the only thing I had ever wanted to do. My ultimate goal had always been more than writing a catchy chorus line. I wanted my audience to feel the emotionality of my music through more than lyrics; I had spent a great deal of time focusing on tonality, cadences, the feeling in my voice, and the dynamic aspects of our music. And to be honest, all my hard work always felt completely paid off when I looked out into the audience before me and saw at least _one_ person wearing the expression of whatever feeling it was that was rich in the song we were playing. It meant that I was able to sweep that person off their feet and take them with me on the emotional adventure of my music. _That_ would always be my one true measure of success as a musician.

As the rest of my band mates scattered backstage, I set my guitar back in its case and fled the scene to the decent-looking backstage "family" bathroom. I had forgotten to take a good long piss before we went onstage, and boy, did I feel like I could make it rain right now. I closed and locked the door before unzipping my pants and going about my business. As I urinated, my mind began wandering. That was when I remembered what had happened right before we went onstage, and my heart dropped directly to my stomach.

My God, how in the world would I be able to face her now? I sighed and rubbed the back of my sunburned neck with my free hand. I had done my best to put the scenario out of my mind for the duration of the show; I couldn't bring myself to even look at Laney while we played, much less meet her gaze. She wasn't even drunk and she had gotten so close to me...

It wasn't until I'd finished peeing that my fingers brushed against my balls and I winced at the slight aching sensation. That was when the even less cheerful memory of Alison giving me what was now apparently a mild case of blue-balls before our set, came back to me. Well, okay, more like I had blue-balled myself.

I checked the clock on my phone. I probably had enough time for another shameless bathroom masturbation. Although, I knew I wouldn't feel that shamelessness after the fact. They were _aching_ though, all I needed was a little relief...

Without another thought, I sat down on the toilet seat and gripped myself as I closed my eyes. This time, my kinky little Laney would—

"Hey Corey, you in there?" I jumped as Kon broke the silence and began banging hard on the bathroom door.

"Uh," _Goddammit,_ cock blocked again. "Yeah man."

"Alright, well," he paused for a moment. "Kin and I are gonna get all our instruments and gear together, and we'll pull the car around back. Grab Laney and meet us out there in five."

"Right," I spoke. Once I was sure he was gone, I let out a disappointed sigh. I suppose my perverted fantasies involving my best friend would just have to wait. I sure had a knack for getting caught off-guard in this position. I tucked my semi-boner back into my skinny jeans (much to my dismay at the uncomfortable feeling) and redid the button and zipper. Then I decided to do a few jumping jacks in the bathroom to make the bulge in my crotch less apparent. Once satisfied, I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and exited the restroom.

_The hunt for Laney..._I scanned the immediate area for a flash of red hair. However, to my surprise, I didn't have to look very far. She was standing in one of the darker corners of the backstage area. At first, I wondered why she was lingering in such a secluded spot. But upon closer inspection of the scene, I realized she wasn't alone; she was, in fact, speaking with an all-too familiar figure. My first thought was, _Who the hell let this douchebag backstage?_

I stopped a good distance away from the two of them, although I made sure I was within earshot of their conversation. Neither of them seemed to notice my remote presence.

"Justin," Laney spoke with tears in her eyes. "You can't just leave me," she looked intimidated and perplexed by his close proximity. "And then show up and claim me again...That's not how it works..."

"You're still not over that?" He mocked her sensitivity, as if he found the fact that she was hurt amusing. "That was only a short fling to remind myself how important you are to me."

For a moment, time seemed to stop and everything felt surreal as countless thoughts hit me all at once. I had been so thankful that he had been out of her life for a few days now; at first, I didn't think their break up would last, but she had been doing so well without him, she had even almost kissed me tonight. But of course he had to show up again, right as I was beginning to believe she might have been over him. I could already see where this was going; he would manipulate her with a few sweet words, and she, being the hopeless romantic that she was, would fall right back into his arms as if he'd done nothing wrong. I had waited so long to feel as close to Laney as I did earlier that night, only for her to be swept off her feet by none other than the guy who had become the bane of my existence.

Nice guys really did always finish last.

My chest hurt at the realization that I had come so close this time, only to lose her again. In my current state of disconnect, I thought, while watching, that this devastating amount of misery I was feeling was too overwhelming to accept as my reality. And therefore, this current intervention _had_ to be something like an optical illusion, or some sort of cruel, sick joke. Or maybe even a sickening combination of both.

"Now come on, Lanes," he reached for her.

That was when reality came out of nowhere and hit me like a steamroller.

_Holy mother of fuck. _This guy did _not_ just call her Lanes. That was _my_ nickname for Laney. _No one_ called her Lanes but _me._ The melancholic self-pity I had really only felt for the duration of a few seconds was abruptly replaced with fury. I was unashamedly enraged by his blatant disregard for my obvious trademark on Laney's nickname, and far more tempted to beat the shit out of him than any of Laney's fanboys.

"Justin, no," she shook her head in rejection of his advances as she stepped away from his outstretched hand.

Then he did something that really set me off. No, I mean _really set me off. _You see, I was the sort of guy who, when witnessing _any_ verbal conflict involving a girl and a much larger guy, would not hesitate to step in as soon as the guy overstepped a fine line by laying a hand on the girl. It didn't matter if I'd heard the whole discrepancy myself, or even if the feminine figure in the situation was the one instigating the dispute and being a self-entitled bitch; _nothing_ justified a man laying a forceful hand on a woman. So, needless to say, when said douchebag seized _Laney's_ wrist and aggressively pulled her figure closer to his (clearly at her discontent), I was immensely outraged.

Suddenly, I didn't care about how awkward it might have been between Laney and I after how close I had come to feeling her lips on mine. The only thing racing through my mind was the urgent desire to protect her from the eminent danger before her.

A split second was all it took for me to close the distance between us. Laney's whimpers of distress ceased immediately after I placed a firm hand on Justin's shoulder from behind, causing his body to freeze. I glanced over his shoulder at Laney in the few seconds of stunned silence. She looked confused—but perhaps somewhat relieved at my sudden presence. It took an immense amount of willpower to restrain myself from decking this douchebag right off the bat. "What the hell do you think you're doing to her?"

He hesitated in his response, no doubt aware of his inappropriate actions. "Well hey, Corey," he said amicably, ignoring my question as he released Laney's arm and turned to face me, causing me to drop my arm back to my side.

Two could play at that game. "What are you doing here?" It came out sounding more like a statement than a question as I in turn disregarded his friendly greeting, still doing everything in my power to keep myself from dislocating the nose on his face.

"You caught me," he threw his hands up in admitted defeat as if I was a cop that had just apprehended him. The guy liked to mess around; that fake smile still hadn't left his face despite the fact that I was making my infuriated mood quite apparent. "I just came here to take Laney back."

"Yeah?" I responded, glancing around his body. Her expression had changed once again. Now she just looked just plain uncomfortable. I'm sure that this was by far the most awkward position she could be in at the moment, and maybe I didn't have any business in telling this douchebag I couldn't believe she had ever dated off, but I didn't care. I had bottled every envious, protective feeling up every time he had made sure I was watching before he rubbed it in my face that she was _his_. I was ready to go off on him without holding back. "She doesn't look like she wants _you_ back."

The stunned silence was unbelievable. My words wiped that smug smile right off his face. I was quite proud of myself, despite the fact that Laney looked nauseated in fear at the way I was confronting her ex-boyfriend. Just the fact that I had the nerve to challenge him got me so far under his skin. I waited in anticipation for him to lose his composure so I'd have a good excuse to hit him. For a second, he wore a look that could kill, and I really thought he was going to do it. I was raring for a fight. Which is why I was taken aback when he regained control of his temper.

"Don't be ridiculous, Corey," that revolting smile returned to his face. "Laney is _mine._ That's all there is to it."

That was really all it took to affirm my suspicions that to him, this was no longer about Laney. I was now standing on the battlefield of a war between two male egos. I had underestimated him; he really knew how to get under my skin as well.

"You know," I started in response. "Your insecurity has always been your downfall." I considered the multiple occasions on which he had felt the need to shamelessly brag about how strong of a claim he had on Laney through their public displays of affection. "And I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but it won't get you very far in life."

"Insecurity?" He grinned even wider and even chuckled a bit at my choice of the word. "Well, as _you_ know," he continued before looking straight into my eyes. "I wouldn't have had to be so insecure if your jealousy hadn't always been the elephant in the room."

This comment really floored me. I didn't know how to respond. It was as if he'd drained all of my confidence with a few mere words. I looked down at the floor and narrowed my eyes in frustration. I couldn't even look at Laney now—I was too embarrassed. Maybe I hadn't done as good of a job concealing my feelings for her as I had thought. Maybe she'd known for a long time, but was either too nice of a person to turn me down, or had just decided to ignore them. My mind started racing again, and I felt panic bubbling in the pit of my stomach.

"Surprised?" He asked after I failed to respond, clearly aware that he now had the upper hand in our verbal debate. "You really shouldn't be."

It felt like he was looking right through me. Either that, or I'd just been an open book all along. I'd been so confident and ready to challenge him just seconds ago, and now...I had never felt so anxious and embarrassed in my life. I just wanted to disappear.

"I bet it really sucked, didn't it?" He seized the opportunity to keep going, a fake empathetic tone taking over. "Having to watch me hold her, having to watch me kiss her." His tone of voice changed when he took things to a whole different level. "Just imagining me _fucking_ her."

This one felt like a flash grenade.

"That's _enough_, Justin," Laney's offended voice immediately cut into our argument from behind his figure.

There was such an instant aura of shock and tension in the air after his words, but it was as if my ears were ringing and I couldn't even organize my thoughts enough to figure out what had hit me yet.

"That's right," he ignored Laney's insistence at a ceasefire, knowing he had just hit one of the most sensitive spots. "I tore that pussy up—"

"Justin!" Laney's voice came again.

"She screamed _my _name—"

"_Stop!_" She persisted.

"And _begged_ me for more—"

"What the _hell_ is your problem, Justin?!" She yelled angrily at him.

No. Oh no, this was the one off-limits thought. He turned around to face her and the two of them spoke, or maybe argued...I wasn't paying enough attention to know which. There was absolutely nothing I hated more than thinking about Laney having sex with her boyfriends, or ex-boyfriends. _Nothing._ I had done everything humanly possible in order to block these thoughts from entering my mind. The thought of their hands all over her, of them fucking her; it was all too much for me to handle. I couldn't get the picture of her underneath him out of my head, and it was killing me by the second.

Just as I thought I was going to scream, Laney was by my side and took me by the arm. "After you left me, Corey and I got together."

Wait. What?

I had missed every word they'd exchanged with each other and just come back to reality long enough to process what she said. The expression on her ex-boyfriend's face had suddenly become unreadable.

"Laney," he smiled, as if she had just told a joke. "You can't really be serious about him."

She shrugged, still clinging to my arm. "I like Corey." She looked up at me and smiled. I knew that this wasn't real. I was aware right away that I was supposed to play along for her sake. But her expression in itself told me that she hadn't intervened for her own sake; it was a smile that said, _I got your back_. When I finally gazed back at the douchebag, his jaw was hanging open in disbelief. "I suggest you leave now," it was her turn to continue in the absence of his response. "Unless you need a security guard to escort you."

It was at that comment that his jaw snapped shut and he ground his teeth together as he flared his nostrils. His hands clenched into fists and I could see every muscle in his body was tensed. He glared angrily at me, then at Laney, then back at me again. He was clearly trying everything not to lose his temper. Although, whether he would attempt to take his anger out on me or Laney in the event of him losing it was unbeknownst to me. I raised my eyebrows and refused to give him the satisfaction of me being the one to break eye contact first. Finally, without another word to either of us, he whipped around violently and dragged his feet as he exited the backstage area.

"Jesus Christ, Corey," Laney spoke as soon as he was out of sight. She leaned on me and buried her face in my chest. "You scared me shitless—I thought he was going to kill you."

Once again, I took a moment to adjust to reality. It took me a second to realize that she wasn't putting on a show anymore. She was leaning on me because _she_ wanted to. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. I inhaled her scent and savored being so close to her, not knowing when the next time I'd be able to do this would be.

"I'm sorry," was all I could say.

"But seriously," she spoke as she pulled away from me. "Thanks." She grinned without breaking eye contact. "You saved me."

_No, you saved me._ I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud. Something in me just couldn't form the words best suited for the delicate situation. "You're important to me." Shit, was that really the best I could do? _Really?_ I decided to change the subject. "Now come on, Kin and Kon are waiting out the back door."

Her face lit up. "It's time to get smashed," she stayed latched onto my arm as she excitedly pulled me toward the exit.

"Finally!" Kon said as we emerged from the back door of the venue. It was dark, but it felt like a warm summer night. "I mean _shit_, Corey, I told you to meet us in _five._ What in the hell took you so long?"

"Sorry about that," I apologized as I opened the backseat of the car and got in. Laney detached from my arm and got in the other side. She buckled her seatbelt and raised an eyebrow as she gazed at me. I smiled before continuing my response. "It was nothing, really."

Douchebags. Whatcha gonna do, right?


	6. Drunken Words Are Only Sober Thoughts

_A/N: First off, I must apologize to everyone for the delay in updating. I had planned to post this last week before I had to leave the state for family obligations, but couldn't finish in time and had to wait until I returned. It's kinda hot-off-the-press, so I'm sorry for any awkward transitions/grammar errors, I will come back and edit later, I just wanted to get this posted for you guys to read ^.^_

_A big thank you to my best friend **Meiyosama** for helping me whenever I get stuck writing and being a fantastic person to share ideas with. There's a good chance that this chapter will make a lot of people angry with me, but this was my plan from the start. Enjoy, and rest assured that this fic is not finished yet. There will, at the very least, be a chapter 7 and probably a chapter 8. I'm sort of going with the flow with this now. So, what happens, happens, and I will be sure to let everyone know if/when I'm finished, so that no one is holding their breath waiting for an update._

_WARNING: Ehhh I guess technically there's a lemon in this chapter...Like, it's not very physically descriptive (saving THAT for later), but it is a sex scene. _

* * *

**Chapter 6: Drunken Words Are Only Sober Thoughts**

As was so generously promised, Trina was long gone once we arrived at the house. There ended up being a lot more people in my home than I had thought were going to show up; needless to say, more than I had personally invited (I had really only extended invitations to a few close friends in addition to the other bands who had opened for us). I guessed word had gotten out about an after-party, because countless fans were already at the house when we got there. It was a bit out-of-hand; I had to kick out three different groups of kids for doing drugs in my home. I'm sorry if me not wanting people to do lines of cocaine in my parents' bathroom made me a buzzkill. I was an occasional drinker of sorts, but I preferred to keep my nose clean and really wasn't crazy about being around all these hardcore drugs.

We did a few celebratory birthday shots for Laney—she seemed to be enjoying herself. However, the chance to talk to her about what had happened before we went onstage had never presented itself, let alone the chance to speak with her about our confrontation with Justin. Both scenarios were still weighing heavily on my mind, but once her sobriety left her, I gave up any hope I'd had to talk with her about it tonight. But, I was in no such hurry. This was her night, not mine. I could wait until tomorrow.

"Coreyyyy," Laney slurred, already completely wasted and leaning on me as I poured myself another round of vodka and Pepsi in the kitchen. As it turns out, Laney was quite the touchy-feely drunk. "You and me? We need to get away from all this. Find somewhere to be alone." She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled my shoulder like a lonely cat pining for attention.

I sighed. I was buzzed, I'll admit, but Laney was on a completely different level. She had been making obvious passes at me at all night, but I blew each and every one off. Don't get me wrong, I loved her, but someone had to be somewhat responsible; I knew her words were only a product of the alcohol she had consumed, and I had no intention of taking them seriously. "I don't think so." I shrugged away from her embrace, ducking under her arms as I did so.

Laney pouted. "I guess I'll just have to drink my sorrows away." She said jokingly as she reached for the bottle of coconut rum on the island counter.

"Nope," I grabbed the glass bottle before she could.

"What?" She whined as she tried to snatch it from me, but I held it out of her reach. "_Coreyyyyy!_"

"You're done drinking for the night," I said sternly.

"But it's my birthday!" She clutched at the chest of my shirt. She'd been pulling the birthday card on me all night.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your birthday heaving over the toilet?" That got her quiet. She let go of me. I took that as a _no_. "Didn't think so." I poured the rest into the kitchen sink. It was a shame to waste perfectly good alcohol, but I wasn't much of a rum drinker, and I'd be damned if I let her get her hands on this later. I grabbed my red party cup and paused under the door frame leading into the living room. Honestly, my harsh tone with her had been immediately to my own regret, but I couldn't think of any other way to get to her. In any case, she was so off-the-wall at this point, that I was almost positive she wouldn't remember me snapping at her tomorrow. "Come on, Laney," I nodded toward the next room with the intention of joining our friends. She followed me with her head hung low.

"So Corey," Kon spoke as I sat down next to him on the couch. Laney settled silently in the love seat across from me. I still couldn't bring myself to look at her, terrified of seeing anything that was not a cheerful expression on her face. "Where's your sister tonight?"

"Not here." Kon's face fell at my words. I knew he'd been hoping that she would be poking around my party. As much as I would have loved to see my sister dating one of my best friends, she could be a backstabbing bitch, and I wasn't about to give her a blatant chance to blackmail me.

There were just a few of us—my band and a few others. We chatted and drank for quite some time, our conversation impervious to the commotion around us. Thankfully, nothing Project-X-crazy happened. I would have shit a brick if the cops had showed up, or someone had strolled in with a flamethrower. We were just a bunch of drunk high school kids chatting and laughing like idiots. You had your occasional sober designated drivers hanging out, some who had drunk too much and were throwing up in the bathrooms, and the smokers sitting on the porch, but most of us were having fun and being social. And to be honest, I was so invested in the conversation and the drinking games we were playing, I hadn't realized that Laney had barely spoken, and she admittedly slipped my mind until someone finally mentioned her.

"Don't tell me the birthday girl passed out on her own birthday!" Daniel exclaimed as he pointed at Laney's limp body sprawled on the love seat. I glanced over at her, I was actually somewhat surprised that I hadn't noticed her still body until then. Her mouth hung open, her red hair was strewn across her face, and her chest rose and fell with each gentle breath she took. Now, I loved Daniel like one of my brothers, but even in my tipsy state, I took particular note of the greedy way he looked her body over. And for the record, I _was_ aware of the fact that he was inebriated (as was I), but that didn't stop the surge of protectiveness that ran through my body as he checked her out, as I had been all too guilty of the vulgar desire he felt on multiple occasions. Who did he think he was?

"I'll take her up to bed," I volunteered as I stood up quickly and set my drink on the coffee table in front of me, determined to make that proposal before any other plastered guy with ulterior motives could. I downed the last few shot glasses of vodka in front of me.

"Ho-ho-_ho,_" Kon yelled with a suggestive curve to his voice, immediately followed by cheers from all of the men in our circle of conversation. "Getchu some, Corey!"

"Shut up," I laughed, but I was only playing along. I didn't really think it was funny. I was actually somewhat disgusted by the way they were encouraging me to take advantage of Laney's black-out-drunk state, but it only affirmed my relief that none of _them_ were the ones taking her up to bed. I nudged her body a bit, wondering if she was capable of walking, in which case I would only act as a crutch and assist her in going up the stairs. When she didn't respond to my gentle prodding, I saw no other option than to carry her myself. I proceeded to pick her clearly unconscious body up with both arms.

"Take your time, Corey," Kon nodded and winked at me before giving a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes as I departed the conversation of bad ideas and choruses of drunken laughs.

Either Laney was really light, or I had just grown stronger over the years than I had realized. I had ingested a few drinks and felt slightly dizzy, but I didn't have any trouble trudging up the stairs with her in my arms. Although I had acted cold to her earlier in the evening when she was drunkenly advancing on me, I hadn't really harbored any negative feelings for her, and as I couldn't help but keep glancing down at the cute way her head rested against my chest, I felt like I was holding the cutest human being I'd ever laid eyes on.

I stepped inside my dark room and kicked the door shut behind me. Laney could sleep on my bed—I didn't mind. I would find somewhere else to crash later. Like the floor. I laid her gently on my bed and turned around with the intention of finding a blanket to cover her, but my train of thought was interrupted when my arm was grabbed and I gasped as my body was suddenly jerked backwards onto my bed.

"I tricked you," Laney giggled drunkenly as she sat up.

"Fuck, Laney," I clutched at my chest with my free hand, still startled as I tried to catch my breath. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I had to get you alone," she hadn't let go of me, and she began pulling me toward her. "Come to bed with me."

_What?_

Alright. I'm not gonna lie. Despite the fact that her voice was laden with inebriation, my heart jumped at the seductive way she said that. I was silent for a bit longer than I meant to be. My mouth was hung open, but no words would come out. In all the years I'd known her, I had never expected her to say _anything_ like that, even if it was just the alcohol talking.

When I didn't respond, Laney crawled over my legs and straddled my lap. I hoped to God that she couldn't feel my dick hardening against her crotch, because as determined as I was to refuse her advances, it would prove to be near impossible if she began paying attention to it. Scratch what I said before; Laney was proving to be more of a horny drunk than anything. I was frozen as she took my face in both of her hands. She giggled and fidgeted for a moment, but became still before looking straight into my eyes.

"Kiss me, Corey."

It was still dark, but my eyes had dilated to adjust to the lack of illumination, and seeing the unmistakable glaze over her expression that was the influence of alcohol seemed to snap me out of my hypnotic state. I pulled away from her. "You're drunk, Laney."

"Please, Corey," she begged as she attempted to pull me back. "Just make me feel good."

Oh my _God,_ I didn't know how in the world I was still refusing her. Fuck, if she had only said that sober, I would have just ripped her clothes off and—_damn it, Corey, stop!_ I needed to focus on getting her to go to sleep. I would never be able to forgive myself if I had sex with her while she was drunk. "It's time for you to go to bed."

"But it's my birthday," she whined like a child, only making me feel more like an authoritative parent than I already did. I sighed, not knowing what to do. If all else failed, I could bide my time chatting with her until she wore herself out and passed out for real. When I didn't respond again, she moved herself off of my lap and proceeded to start unbuckling my belt. _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck._ I started panicking.

"Stop it, Laney," I grabbed her hands before she could unbutton my jeans.

"But you like it," she smiled seductively at me before trying to dive headfirst into the dickpool again.

"No, I don't," I lied.

"Corey," she paused and looked up at me. "I see the way you look at me. You wouldn't stop staring at me when we went to the pool yesterday." I was surprised by the complete thoughts and sentences she was expressing, even if she slurred a few words together once in a while. "I knew you weren't going to let anyone else carry me up to bed tonight. You get so nervous when we're alone like this; it's cute. I want you, Corey."

She leaned in again and the moment I had waited for in utter anticipation, for the last four years of my life, was finally upon me. She pushed my beanie off the back of my head before her soft lips came into contact with mine—for real, this time. I hadn't pulled away, but hadn't closed my eyes. It was so sudden; I didn't know what to do. My lips moved on their own against hers, and although the taste of alcohol was strong on her breath and in her mouth, I still couldn't bring myself to pull away. What was wrong with me? I felt like I fish, kissing her with my eyes wide open, but what was I supposed to do?

The shots I had taken ten minutes ago hit me in another wave of dizziness and I struggled immensely to stay focused on reality and not let myself get carried away. This was wrong, I told Trina myself that I cared about Laney too much to take advantage of her drunken state. But how was I supposed to know she'd want the D this badly after getting hammered? I was regretting having partaken in any drinking at all now-it would have been much easier to deny her if I had decided to stay sober instead of stupidly thinking that I could get a little tipsy and still take care of her.

All of a sudden, a realization hit me; I considered for a moment that this situation had the potential to be far worse—she could have been persistently coming onto someone else all night. Even if I _was_ intending to go along with her and allow her to spread her legs for me, it would have been better that it was _me_, and not someone else who wasn't nearly as acutely in tune with her feelings as I was.

It was then that I remembered a popular saying; a wise man once said, _drunken words are only sober thoughts._ As the feeling of tipsiness got stronger and began dominating the parts of my brain that were responsible for making rational decisions, the situation seemed less immoral than I had initially been making it out to be. The devil on my shoulder began speaking to me; _What are you waiting for, Corey Riffin?_

It was then that any and all rationality left me. I was beyond the I-can't-believe-this-is-really-happening phase onto the I'm-drunk-and-I-want-the-V phase. I kissed Laney back forcefully—hungrily. There was a satisfied tone to her moan as I bit her lip and began playing with her tongue; she had succeeded in seducing me. I forced her back down onto the bed where I could dominate her, and began touching her. I couldn't _feel_ her enough to fulfill me. I wanted to pleasure every part of her body from head to toe. I couldn't kiss her to my own fulfillment either, I don't know how long I spent exploring her mouth before I finally started trailing down to her chest. She sat up and struggled in pulling her shirt off in the darkness, getting tangled in her own clothes in the process. I laughed at how silly she looked before helping her pull the shirt off over her head and throwing it on the floor.

Laney..._My little Laney_...She was eager and kept begging me to fuck her, but I wouldn't just yet; I wanted to take my time and enjoy every aspect of our intimacy. I reached around to undo her strapless bra, and then the cute little peach-like breasts of hers that I had admired for so long were finally _in my hands._ The real things were much more perfect than anything I had fantasized. I paid attention and took note of every reaction she had to my touch. I felt her hands on my back as she started tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

"Take it off," she whispered.

I smirked at her request and obliged, sitting up and pulling my shirt off over my head.

Laney giggled at my figure now. "You look like a tomato," she threw her head back onto the pillow behind her as she laughed, clearly poking fun at my badly sunburned body. Thank God though, the redness of my skin made a great camouflage for the blush spreading across my face.

I felt another wave of dizziness and my grasp on reality loosened again. I was admittedly far beyond tipsy at this point. I didn't respond to her comment, instead I went right back to her chest. I could feel myself becoming much less precise in the way that I pleasured her, and in turn, more primal and rough. The idea of fucking her was becoming more and more tempting. She was becoming a bit more distant and unresponsive, she was getting tired, and there was a good chance she would pass out for real soon. I really had been enjoying taking my sweet time in adoring every crevice and curve on her body, but I should have known from the beginning that the end result was going to be sloppy drunk sex.

I wasted no time in undoing her skinny jeans before pulling them down her long legs. Laney shuddered, feeling completely bare as I did the same with her panties. I really wanted to go down on her and taste her pussy before fucking her, but I was going to fast to slow my pace now.

I reached down to finish the job she had started earlier. I fidgeted clumsily with my zipper for a few seconds and I was able to remove my own jeans and underwear before kicking them on the floor with the rest of our clothes.

Laney perked up a bit when I finished undressing, but I stopped her when she attempted to reach for my dick. "No, Laney," I whispered into her ear as I gently pushed her back onto the bed. "It's your special day—not mine." I prodded her wet warmth a few times as I gently nibbled on her earlobe. She wrapped her arms around my back and moaned my name. I couldn't wait any longer. I pushed into her and paused before whispering, "Happy birthday."

The drug-like feeling of being inside her caused me to lose any control I had left over my body. I don't know how long I kept going at it. Being drunk made it hard to focus on myself, and it usually took me longer to come. I remembered ramming mindlessly into her for what felt like hours. I could vaguely recall her crying out in pleasure and digging her fingernails into my back, which should have hurt like hell due to my sunburn, but in my excited, drunk state, it felt so good to have her clawing me. Before long, my memories became blurry and my mind went blank. She would regret this in the morning, but not more so than myself. I had dabbled in my selfish fantasies revolving around Laney when I fucked groupies or jerked myself off, but for the first time in my life, I was completely consumed by the feeling of greed, the height of my pleasure, and intoxication. It wasn't a fantasy anymore.


	7. Nine Times Out of Ten

_A/N: First off, I can't express how terribly sorry I am that I've taken so long to update. I have had the most terrible case of writer's block and needed to get opinions on where to go in this one before proceeding. In addition to this being the most challenging chapter to write thus far, I've just been extremely busy with cosplay, and the semester having started (have I mentioned I'm a chemistry major? I take a lot of science and math classes, so I study a lot). But enough with my excuses._

_Oh my God, I can't believe how wonderful all of the reviews I get are (': Not to mention some of the comments and conversations I've been having with certain individuals via messaging. You people are the best. Seriously. Were it not for the support I have received, I would probably have not come back to this fic._

_So, quick update, I've decided to stick with the name "Senior Year," as I'm fairly certain I intend to extend this story into the end of their high school careers. So, without further ado, prepare yourself for the awkwardness that is chapter seven (warning, this one is pretty angsty too). Hope you all enjoy regardless. I'm sorry that for all the time I made you wait, it's not even a very long chapter. I will desperately try to get the next chapter up more quickly than I did this one, but once-a-week updates are definitely out of the question, so definitely expect me to be extremely sporadic. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me thus far!_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Nine Times Out of Ten**

I gradually blinked awake from my wet dream to the sun shining down on me through the window by my bed. The light fell in thin little stripes through the half-open blinds. Yet another dream about Laney, leaving me with the usual case of morning wood.

I squinted my eyes shut as a hangover hit me in the most common form of a massive headache. I sighed and rubbed my face tiredly as my dick softened. Shit. What did I do last night? I glanced at the digital clock on my dresser that read in neon blue numbers; 11:47 AM. Knowing I had drank too much was an immediately unmistakable fact, but in addition, there was an ominously vague feeling of guilt hanging over me that I couldn't quite grasp.

I sighed in frustration at my inability to remember the details of the previous night and rolled over—almost into the peacefully sleeping figure next to me. I froze before coming into contact with the body and realizing that it was, in fact, Laney. Everything (er, almost everything) suddenly came back to me in a flash of somewhat obscure memories.

The party. The alcohol. I remembered having sex with Laney, but the vagueness of the pictures in my mind was still causing them to be perceived as if they'd only been a dream. I lifted the covers that were lying over me and immediately wished I hadn't. Upon the realization that we were both naked, in addition to the fact that we were lying in my bed together, my hesitant suspicion that I hadn't dreamt the things we'd done together was then confirmed.

Now, being the horny teenager I am, any other time, I probably would have been extremely aroused waking up to a naked, unconscious Laney, and would then unashamedly proceed to whack off right next to her. The constant threat of her waking up would force me to take precaution in my movements, and excite me all the same. Just throwing that out there.

Needless to say, now was _not_ one of those times.

I felt a pang of nausea in the pit of my stomach as the realization sank in.

_This can't be happening..._

I sat up abruptly. How had I let this happen? I ran my fingers through my hair and held my head in frustration as I attempted to recall the chain of events that had caused my judgment to become so impaired that the instant gratification of her body was the only thing capable of satisfying my lust. I remembered her coming onto me rather strongly, but I had been so adamantly opposed to acting on my temptations. Why had I allowed myself to drink in the first place? I should have predicted that I would not have been in the right state of mind to take care of her.

Foolishly, I hadn't considered the way that I was going to make the mattress shift when I sat up so quickly, and all too soon, Laney started fidgeting and humming as she began to wake up.

I froze again. I hadn't even had time to think about what her reaction was going to be, nor what I was going to say to her in this quandary.

"Corey?" her voice cracked as she arched her back and stretched under the covers. "Ugh, I feel like shit." I turned my head slowly to look at her, her pained expression making it quite obvious that she was suffering from the dreaded hangover headache as well. Any other time, I could have gone on describing how pretty she looked regardless of her hangover and her bed-head, but in my state of worry, I hadn't the ability to focus on the aspects of her beauty. She began blinking and looking around, and I, being the pussy that I was, looked away quickly. When I didn't respond and she had come to more conscious senses, she spoke again. "What are you doing here, Corey?"

I took that as, _what are you doing in the same bed as me?_ I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how much she could remember—that is, if she could remember anything at all. _Don't just sit there, Corey!_ "Laney..." was the only word I was capable of forming.

The mattress trembled once again as she sat up. "What..." her breaths were short and shaky. I could tell without even looking at her that the delayed realization was finally hitting. I turned back around to see her holding the covers over her bare chest. Her eyes were wide and glued downwards. "What happened between us, Corey?" She looked up at me, and despite the obvious evidence supporting the facts, the frightened look in her eyes begged to give her good news, pleaded for me to explain to her that this was all some sort of misunderstanding.

"L-Laney," I stuttered before looking away again. I winced as another wave of pain hit my head, and I was immediately reminded why nine times out of ten, my hangovers usually aren't worth drinking in the first place. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to think through the pain and keep my mind on track. I couldn't bring myself to lie, to tell her what she so desperately wanted to hear. "I'm so sorry."

I had been expecting the worst, maybe even a cold hard slap for being the typically irresponsible, perverted guy. But she had no reaction to my words. It was like she had just shut down. I couldn't tell what she was thinking—I could only assume she was in some state of denial, most likely due to the fact that her recollection was clearly even more so limited than mine.

Once again, my gaze drifted back to her. I had never seen her like this before. I had seen her in tears many times, but I had never seen the light of life itself leave her eyes like this. I would have much rather her cried or hit me—it would have beat sitting here trying to read her mind.

Let's be honest—I had always wanted this. But not like _this._ For awhile now, I'd had this innocent little fantasy of us growing old together; me waking up next to her every morning. Nothing I dared take too seriously in this day and age, but admittedly, I did often think about it. More frequently, I considered whether or not it was an attainable goal worth pursuit. We were still so young and inexperienced, and the possibility of making a childish mistake in a high school relationship was far too likely. Hell, we weren't even together, and I'd managed to make a more immature mistake than most boyfriends. There wasn't even another guy to blame the situation on right now; for the first time, this was all _me._ I was beginning to have the most dreadful feeling that my innocent fantasy was a delusion that further confirmed my childish nature and only put Laney in a far different league than me.

Memories kept coming back to me in bright flashes, but one in particular hit me quite hard. I could clearly remember telling her that I loved her while she was underneath me. But the worst part of it all was that I remembered her saying it back. This was the only memory I wished could have remained foggy. I would have to live forever with the flashback of those tender words leaving her lips, followed by the constant reminder that she hadn't meant them. Things could never be the same again.

"I have to go," she excused herself as she finally broke the silence. I felt the mattress shift as she stood up. All at once, her gears seemed to set back in motion. She was so sudden about it, I hadn't quite snapped out of my memories yet. My heart dropped; for the first time, she was running away from me.

"Please don't," I meant what I said, but I didn't bother to look up as I could hear the rustling of fabric and cared not to make her feel even more uncomfortable by watching her get dressed. She didn't respond, and when the worst-scenario fear that this could be the last time I ever saw her hit me, I spoke again. "Laney," _I love you._ I struggled immensely to keep myself from saying those words aloud. It would have relieved a lot of built-up stress, but this was not the right time, nor place for that confession. When I was positive she was decent, I looked back at her. "Please," I begged. My heart was longing to reach out to hers, but she wouldn't even meet my gaze.

"I'm sorry, Corey," there came a painful, piercing feeling in my chest when she walked out of my bedroom door without so much as a glance back at me. It was like a bullet was digging its way through my coronary cavity in slow motion, and when the door clicked shut, it had finally made its way out through the other side, leaving a hollow space in its path.

I was shocked; my breath was caught in my throat for a good few seconds before the distant sound of the front door slamming shut reached my ears. I cursed and punched the wall next to my bed hard. It should have hurt like hell—my knuckles were red and throbbing—but it didn't. In fact, I wanted to do it again.

I didn't want to go downstairs. I didn't want to clean up. I didn't want to face Trina. I didn't want to face my parents when they came home tonight. I punched the wall again, this time leaving a small dent in my wake.

Everything hurt. Every part of me was aching in some way, shape, or form. _Why had I gotten so drunk?_ I kept asking myself the same question, cursing my spur-of-the-moment decision. _Nine times out of fucking ten, how does one forget something like that? _Thinking about the fact that school would resume tomorrow didn't help anything either. I wondered if she would sit with me at lunch or during anatomy, or come to practice this week.

I had to get her to talk to me. But how could I expect her to? I had not only let her down, but in turn compromised our friendship. I felt like a rapist—I mean, I had violated her, for fuck's sake. Who would have thought that the one person so determined to take care of her would be the one to hurt her the most?


End file.
